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Khantoke in Avista Phuket Resort and Spa, Kata Beach is named after a northern Thai and Lao custom of communal dining that involves serving several dishes on an ornate pedestal tray. This unique method of enjoying mouth-watering dishes is not only outrageously colourful but also a relaxed yet intimate way of sharing one of life’s most enjoyable aspects – good food and drink.

Khantoke at Avista is an innovative rooftop arrangement that comprises beautifully crafted low teakwood tables, ‘mon’ triangular floor cushions, teakwood ‘salas’ or gazebos and soft traditional lighting. It’s all very Lanna – northern Thai and the food served here is based on royal Thai cuisine, which goes in heavily for attractive food presentation and complementing dishes.

At approximately 150sqm Khantoke is compact, with four salas at each of its corners and two parallel lines of teak tables. The salas are intended for couples while the tables can handle up to eight diners at a time. The cheerful sound of the resort’s waterfall can be heard above piped-in traditional music and clever mist-dispensing fans as well as fascinating open-air conditioning units are placed near diners so things here are kept cool in more ways than one.

Wait staff members wear period Thai costumes and there is a food display at the entrance – all pretty unique in Phuket: it’s like experiencing a slice of northern Thailand with the added bonus of being a ten-minute stroll from Kata Beach.

Of course, the food is the star turn at Khantoke and it’s pretty sensational to say the least: There are four extensive set menus, each with a varied array of mouth-watering dishes. The four are, in turn, Sukhothai; Ayutthaya; Lanna, and Siwichai. We plump for the Lanna selection which consists of Thai-style crab cake served in its shell, tom kha gai – coconut broth with chicken, charcoal-grilled prawns served with spicy Thai sauce, stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts, along with stir-fried veggies with oyster sauce.

Seasonal fruits or dessert of the day is also part of the deal that comes in at 800 baht ++ per diner. As mentioned, the food presentation is extremely attractive and each dish skillfully complements each other yet remains intrinsically individual in character. Clever stuff; oh, and there’s a ‘free-flow’ arrangement of both fluffy rice and brown rice the whole of the evening.

And now to the tricky part: what to drink with Thai food? Well, that may depend on how spicy you prefer your dishes – and incidentally Khantoke will accommodate your spiceometer so if you’d like it hot and spicy just let the staff know and you’ll be looked after – but generally speaking beer can be too filling with rice dishes and red wine is sometimes too heavy. So maybe a crisp white or a rosé is the best idea.

We choose a New Zealand rosé from the impressive international wine list and it effortlessly spans the taste gap. To sum up: Khantoke is a uniquely Thai experience that doesn’t compromise – something many holiday destination restaurants are all too often guilty of. For a great evening out surrounded by Thai culture, food, and hospitality Khantoke certainly takes some beating.

Charcoal-grilled Prawns

Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Thai-style Crab Cake

Tom Kha Gai

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The 150-room Avista Hideaway Resort and Spa, Phuket is a high-end escape with six accommodation categories featuring 143 spacious suites ranging from 55sqm to 145sqm.Avista enjoys rich vistas of both Patong and Freedom bays, a private beach club, access to three separate beaches, butler service and three spectacular swimming pools along with a children play pool area.The resort is multilevel resulting in an interesting variety of experiences, one of which is the Ayurvedic spa where a qualified Ayurvedic expert will advise you before treatment as to what body type you are and what treatment is the best fitting. Read More...